Been a long time since this thread saw any "action," but been reading this week how it's the 30th anniversary of the Falklands war and how it only lasted 79 days and really the death toll was less than you'd expect but Argentina STILL maintains sovereignty - it's up to the occupants, and they prefer being British thanks very much.

I don't know where 30 years went, feels like yesterday and I was on call-up, being rather Harrier experienced, but it was over before anyone got around to getting me a haircut

With what now sits at Stanley, a couple of ships of the realm in region and doubtless a Trafalgar class sub lurking around somewhere Argentina would be damned stupid to try anything, then again, they were last time.

All about money, the oil off the islands is becoming accessible and there's some interesting minerals in the nearby waters. I can't think of a single other reason for anyone to take any interest in the place - been there, for some reason the inhabitants like it, probably because it is not, ironically, a money driven economy, but people choose to live in odd places and I doubt the islanders would ever get much out of any mineral exploitation, or care very much.

Sometimes I could wish for that far simpler existence

I went and broke a vow to my wife this past ten days and brushed across the advisory field again, not in the least proud of myself, and quite enough on the plate just now, but, some idiots were making idiotic decisions, over now I think - fucking crazy world.

But, I do have a belief in looking after my friends, which most particularly includes this rather mad little clan

Been a long time since this thread saw any "action," but been reading this week how it's the 30th anniversary of the Falklands war

OK this is not quite the right fit for this thread but it's not totally out of place...This is by Split Enz, a Kiwi band, and it was banned in Britain and on the BBC during the Falklands war.Indeed Chris it's amazing how the last thirty years have flown by

I remember that - Jamie would not know the band probably and you are quite correct NZ band, like so many, stolen by Oz when they did well

I don't know what 30 years is any more, I know what 90 minutes used to be, my life expectancy from roll to touch-down.

I guess I've said it before but perhaps not here, so many things able to kill you in the air, and that's before you rumble...

I think I'm being a little reflective - my wife had a very serious back operation about 18 months ago - this morning she woke up in agony - found a physio and I could not believe how long she was in there, maybe fibromyalgia is back - well, we beat it once, will do again, but tell you, seen less pain in my own face after they pulled a bullet out of me.... At least it is in a different area of her spine so not a re-occurrence, better not be, still paying for that.

I had one Uncle go storm those beaches, I think Jamie had two granddads do so, and beating all the odds they all survived.

Me. I just duck a lot, sometimes not quite quickly enough

Having re-awoken this thread I started musing on it again - that might not be healthy, but, Ii is an absolute anomaly that you never feel more alive than when you might be dead in five seconds...

I've heard it over and over from Vet after Vet and it took me a while to get off the fix...Very strange, I would like to extinguish war, so would most if not if all of my friends, but it seems in order to do that we have to go to war....

Took me a little while to make that transition as well but my HPs serve me rather well these days.

It's amazing what happens in times of war, I kinda think Anzac Day should be retired, which is heretical, but, try taking away a public holiday

However as I remarked to a friend on the day we don't celebrate June 6th nor from an Oz perspective the battle of Long Tan, and I don't even know what date that commenced - could look it up I suppose, but in the end battles are about sadness.

Perhaps the reason Anzac Day endures is because the two major countries involved have significant respect for the stupidity of it, which is stupid in itself, but also admirable.

I kinda think Anzac Day should be retired, which is heretical, but, try taking away a public holiday

Cheers

Damn right it's heretical one of the reasons we celebrate ANZAC Day is because it's a permanent reminder of a British (Winston Churchill's) fuck up. Another is because it's possibly the most successful retreat ever...

However as I remarked to a friend on the day we don't celebrate June 6th nor from an Oz perspective the battle of Long Tan, and I don't even know what date that commenced - could look it up I suppose, but in the end battles are about sadness.

Cheers

It may be heretical but what's the relevance of June 6th? (D Day?)Long Tan Day is slowly achieving the significance it deserves...on August 18th

June 6th was indeed D Day, and you are dead right about Churchill and Anzac Cove, he never forgave himself, but it forged a spirit that led directly to Long Tan I suppose, one of the few successful campaigns against the Vietnamese, probably because it was handled by Aussies (Jamie will get me for that )

I don't know about Aussies, but Vietnam is a rather difficult one for Americans.

Most of us want to remember and honor the veterans while trying very hard to forget the war itself.

All of these years later, you can't pick up an American newspaper on Dec. 7 and not see a fairly prominent mention of Pearl Harbor, even though that was hardly a high point of American history but few people go out of their way to remember say the fall of Saigon.

Logged

Where everything out here ain't what it seemsWhen I'm down to nothing, I just go ahead and dreamAnd face the fact that I'm a circle in a world full of squares

It's much the same in Australia Jamie, I wan't even here, although I was briefly there but just how we were, or for that that matter how the US was dragged into a war the French had already lost is an object lesson in how to stay out of other peoples affairs.

Flight Lieutenant William Walker, who has died aged 99, was shot down in his Spitfire during the Battle of Britain and wounded. Late in his life, having become the oldest surviving pilot of the Battle, he wrote poetry in memory of his fellow aircrew.

Flight Lieutenant William Walker 6:24PM BST 22 Oct 2012During the late morning of August 26 1940, Walker and his squadron colleagues of No 616 (South Yorkshire) Auxiliary Squadron were scrambled from Kenley to intercept a raid of 40 enemy bombers approaching Dover. Too low to attack the raiders, the squadron turned north to gain height but were ambushed by a large formation of Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighters.Within minutes, three Spitfires had been shot down. As Walker attacked a Bf 109 his Spitfire was hit from behind and he was wounded in the leg. The controls were shot away and Walker was forced to bail out at 20,000ft. He landed in the English Channel very close to a sandbank, which he was able to reach. Shortly afterwards, suffering from hypothermia, he was picked up by a fishing boat.A large crowd cheered as he was landed at Ramsgate, but the badly damaged hospital there was unable to deal with his wound. He was taken instead to an RAF hospital where a .303 bullet was removed from his ankle, a souvenir he kept for the rest of his life.The son of a brewer, William Louis Buchanan Walker was born in Hampstead on August 24 1913. After leaving Brighton College, where he was a contemporary of the actor Sir Michael Hordern, he joined his father in the brewery trade.Walker joined the RAF Volunteer Reserve at Oxford in September 1938 to train as a pilot. Called up on the outbreak of war, he completed his training before joining No 616, based near Beverley in East Yorkshire, where the squadron’s task was to guard the industrial cities of the north.The month of August saw an increased tempo of fighting as the Battle of Britain intensified. On the 15th, the Luftwaffe launched a major attack from Norway and Denmark against the north of England. No 616 was scrambled and intercepted a large force of bombers approaching the Yorkshire coast.Walker, who had only recently joined, flew on the wing of his section leader as they attacked the force. By the end of the engagement, six enemy bombers had been shot down. Four days later, No 616 moved to Kenley, where Walker was immediately in action.He returned to flying after six months’ treatment, joining an aircraft ferry unit before transferring to No 116 Squadron on anti-aircraft co-operation duties. He was released from the RAF in September 1945 and received the Air Efficiency Award.Post-war, he returned to the brewing trade and rose to become chairman of Ind Coope, a role previously held by his father. He never lost his liking for a pint.In later life, Walker was a strong supporter of the Battle of Britain Memorial Trust. Fit and well into old age, he was ever-present at the annual service of remembrance held at the memorial at Capel-le-Ferne overlooking the English Channel in Kent, which always concluded with him stepping forward and reciting, in a strong voice, one of his poems.Best known is Our Wall, written to celebrate the stone inscription of the names of 2,937 members of The Few. During the 70th anniversary commemorations in July 2010, the Patron of the Trust, Prince Michael of Kent, unveiled a copy of the poem, carved and sited alongside the wall it describes. To great acclaim, Walker then read the poem, which describes the “many brave unwritten tales/That were simply told in vapour trails”.His poems were published in 2011 with the proceeds donated to the Battle of Britain Memorial Trust.William Walker married Claudine Walker, one of the Mawby triplets, in August 1941. They separated later in life and she died in September 2012. They had seven children, including Tim Walker, Mandrake columnist at the Telegraph. Two children predeceased them.

This is a photo of my old man (step father) & his crew from NZ 18th Armoured Regiment in Italy in 1943 at a place called Sangro.

LEST WE FORGET

That's him sitting in by the gun barrel I recently found a youtube clip taken at the same time, on the left up the hill on the other side of the bridge you just about see a movie camera set up.The film clip shows the photographer taking this photo...

Any way if you can be bothered watching that's my old man at about 5.01-5.12 minutes into the clip.

McClean my step father was more of an influence on my life than my biological father.

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